College football’s Week 6 board has the feel of a separator Saturday, especially in the SEC, where a few teams are about to learn whether they’re real playoff threats or just surviving on reputation and a light schedule. The bracket picture is still fluid, but the slate ahead should start carving out the field.
All eyes will be on Tuscaloosa, where Alabama faces one of those spots Kalen DeBoer is usually built for. The Crimson Tide also have to deal with the possibility of weather at Bryant-Denny Stadium and the fact that Georgia is waiting next, which means Alabama will need a sharp performance just to stay unbeaten by Sunday. Right alongside that, Georgia and Alabama finally get a game on their level, and it should tell us plenty about which Bulldogs are truly the team to beat in the SEC, even if they aren’t the conference’s highest-ranked squad.
The other major SEC swing game comes in Dallas, where the Red River Rivalry could blow up the whole conversation. Texas has to be clean in its execution against an Oklahoma team that would love nothing more than to steal the day at the Cotton Bowl and get its season pointed in the right direction.
Elsewhere, Ole Miss is back after what felt like an eternity away from the field, looking to wipe out the memory of its first loss. Vanderbilt is the opponent, and it gives the Rebels a chance to reset in a hurry. Florida gets a more interesting home test with South Carolina coming in, and the Gamecocks will have Dylan Stewart back in the mix on the pass rush.
There’s also a lot happening outside the SEC picture. Boise State does not get to coast through the Pac-12, with the league offering plenty of teams capable of winning any Saturday.
Fresno State is a real problem on Saturday night and can absolutely hand the Broncos another loss. In the Big Ten, there’s room for more separation farther north among the other playoff contenders, while Maryland has the unenviable task of trying to account for Jeremiah Smith with just one defender when Ohio State visits the Horseshoe.
Ohio State looks like it could name its score there, and Notre Dame has a chance to do something similar against Stanford. The Cardinal used to be capable of pulling off an upset in South Bend, but this version of Stanford is in rebuilding mode. That makes this a chance for Notre Dame to clean up some things on both sides of the ball before heading to BYU for what should be its first real test of the season.
BYU already got Friday started by dispatching Iowa State, then turns its attention to Notre Dame with injury concerns hanging over Kalani Sitake’s team. The offense has looked disjointed without tailback LJ Martin, and that’s part of the reason the Cougars will need to get healthy fast. Miami is in a similar holding pattern on its off week, trying to rest, recover and get a few guys back in the starting lineup before next Saturday.
Indiana also finds itself in a tricky road spot, though the Hoosiers at least carry a Top 25 ranking into a trip that Nebraska has historically had a hard time handling over the last decade. LSU, meanwhile, is heading to Kentucky in a matchup that would usually feel automatic, but not this season. The Wildcats have made that trip a far more dangerous one than usual, and it will take a high-end effort for Lane Kiffin’s team to walk out with a win.
In Other News...
Boise State Has A Rivalry Problem It Must Fix At Fresno State
Boise State heads to Valley Childrens Stadium with more than a trophy on the line in the Milk Can rivalry game, carrying the burden of a three-game losing streak against Fresno State and the need to show it can handle this matchup again. Both teams have won four straight, which gives Saturdays game a little extra edge beyond the usual rivalry heat, and the Broncos will be trying to keep their own momentum from turning into another frustrating night in a series that has tilted the other way lately.
The injury report adds another layer to the buildup, with Boise States star backs still central to the game plan and Fresno State getting a boost from Rayshon Luke being cleared to play after leaving last weeks win with a concussion. Boise State also enters with a receiver situation to monitor, and in a game where field position and explosive plays can swing the whole rivalry, every available weapon matters as the Broncos look for a clean answer to a matchup that has given them trouble. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Must Fix One Road Problem To Reclaim The Milk Can
Boise State heads to Fresno on Saturday night with the Milk Can on the line and plenty of momentum of its own, but also a chance to measure itself in a place that has given the Broncos trouble. Both teams are 4-1 and riding four-game winning streaks, setting up a familiar kind of rivalry game that can tilt quickly if one side starts fast. Spencer Danielson has already pointed to Fresno States defense and the challenge of playing there, which is usually enough to get the attention of a Boise State team trying to stay on track in conference play.
What makes this one more delicate for the Broncos is how much the margin can shrink on the road if their defense loses discipline. Boise State has given up too many explosive plays early this season, and against a Fresno State team that knows how to make opponents pay at home, that issue looms large. If the Broncos are going to reclaim the Milk Can, they will need a cleaner night than they have delivered in that area so far, because this rivalry has a way of punishing any lapse. [Read more 🡒]
Boise States New-Look Roster Faces An Early Test Before Opening Night
Boise State will get an early measuring stick for its revamped mens basketball roster when it faces in-state rival Idaho in an exhibition at Idaho Central Arena, the kind of tune-up that can reveal a lot before the games start counting. The Broncos still have two more exhibitions lined up against Washington and Bismarck State College before the official season opener on November 4, giving Leon Rice a few chances to sort through rotations, roles and chemistry with a group that looks different from a year ago.
Rice has already pointed toward a tougher style of play this season, and that makes these exhibitions more than just run-outs against outside competition. It also means Boise State will have to keep waiting to see how two of its most important transfer additions fit into the picture, a wrinkle that leaves the Broncos frontcourt and backcourt depth still very much a work in progress as opening night approaches. [Read more 🡒]